Sunday, December 17, 2006

I do not recommend using DHL Express to ship anything. And I'll tell you why:

I designed my Christmas cards this year online at place called Zazzle, and ordered them the week after Thanksgiving. It takes time to print them up, ship them, and get them addressed, and sent to all the kith and kin. I gave myself plenty of time.

Like many online businesses, Zazzle hooks you right into the shipping company to track your package. After a while, I logged in to check where my stuff was. Imagine my surprise when the note says "Delivered to Front Door" ... two days ago. So, I took a long, hard look around the front door, and finding nothing, resolved to call the shipper.

The good folks at the DHL phone bank told me that it was delivered to my front door two days ago. Thanks! After a short conversation, they told me they would contact the actual driver on that route, and get back to me the next day.

The next evening, having heard nothing, I called again. It's getting close to being a time crunch at this point - I address everything by hand, and I like to try to give everyone a personalized touch in their card. Takes time. At any rate, they tell me they are going to call the driver "right now" and they'll call me before the night is over. And to their credit, they did. The driver double checked, and he had delivered it to another house around the corner. Same number, different street.

Easily Solved! I'll walk over, meet some more neighbors, and start addressing cards. I walk over... and the house is clearly empty. There is one light on, in the front hall. I can look through the window of the locked front door and see my package on the floor. I can also see the "For Sale" sign on the front lawn. I thought I might have to make an offer on the house just to get my Christmas cards back.

Thankfully, the "For Sale" sign had the number of the realtor. After I explained the situation, she was extremely helpful and offered to bring the package over sometime the next day. So, almost a week after I should have gotten them, I got my cards. I was a whirling dervish of address-writing and envelope licking, but they are all on their way. Less the "reserve" cards I hold back, in case I get cards from anyone I haven't sent cards to already.